Special to Best Bets

Comedian Kathy Griffin has been called rude, shocking and offensive by her critics. But judging by her credentials, which include two Emmy awards and eight nominations, her critics are in the minority.

In some ways, Griffin, 51, is a bit like legendary sports journalist Howard Cosell. The late Cosell often upset the American television masses with his no-holds-barred style of broadcasting and interviewing. Cosell simply said that he was “telling it like it is.”

Several decades later, Griffin has become a lightning rod for her sometimes controversial statements, protests and observations. She even has a twist on Cosell’s catch phrase; hers is “I’ll say it.”

But “I’ll Say It” is more than just a phrase. It’s more than just the theme song for Griffin’s “Kathy,” talk show, which is gearing up for a second season on the Bravo channel. It’s more than just a dance remix that’s immensely popular in gay nightclubs and recently made its debut at No. 44 on Billboard’s Dance/Club Play Songs chart. It’s the way the 51-year-old comedian lives her life.

“I believe so strongly that it is my job as a comedian to say it, whatever ‘it’ is,” Griffin said recently by phone from her Los Angeles home. “A comedy club is one of the last bastions of a place where you can go and hear people say funny things, shocking things, and inappropriate things. And I love getting that unexpected laugh from someone who goes, “Oh my, she did not just say that.’

“Comedians are a rare group of people that should be allowed to take risks. I think that’s essential. It’s a rare place where we don’t have to be politically correct. For me, it’s all about ‘is the audience laughing?’ I certainly don’t go out to hurt people’s feelings. But I can’t be bothered worrying about if I’m going to offend somebody or if I say the wrong word on the wrong day to the wrong person.”

An election year is a like a treasure chest for comedians, she said.

“This is just a joy for us,” she said. “From Michele Bachmann calling for Congress to be investigated to see who is a true patriot and who isn’t to Romney’s 47-percent tape. You can’t make this stuff up.”

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However, she does have some empathy for those who find themselves unexpectedly in the public spotlight, especially in politics.

“We tend to be very self-righteous: ‘How dare they say this?’” Griffin said. “But there for the grace of God go I. I can only imagine if someone released a tape of me singing to my dog. ”

Griffin was amused by the furor set off by Mitt Romney’s remarks at a May fundraiser in which Romney was secretly videotaped saying that 47 percent of Americans are dependent on government and that they believed they are victims entitled to help. It’s unclear if Romney would consider Griffin part of that 47 percent.

What is clear is that Griffin is one of the hardest-working comedians in the country. She became the first comedian known to release four comedy specials for television in one year. But Griffin did just that, releasing four specials for Bravo in 2011: “50 and Not Pregnant,” “Gurrrl Down!” “Pants Off,” and “Tired Hooker.” Her most recent comedy special, “Seamen 1st Class” aired in July.

She also frequently tours doing stand-up comedy.

“It’s live, no-holds-barred comedy,” she said in describing her show. “Don’t bring the kids. Leave the bible at home. This isn’t for the faint of heart. There’s nothing like it. Touring is still my favorite thing to do on the planet because it’s totally uncensored. The audience doesn’t know what I’m going to say and I sure as hell don’t know what I’m going to say. I’m driven by one thing: To make sure the audience is laughing. That’s my only real barometer.”

Griffin plans to start filming the second season of “Kathy” for in January for Bravo. It’s not your typical talk show, she said.

“One show we brought in Jane Fonda and she was sitting on a couch with Lisa Ling and Sharon Osbourne,” Griffin said. “I’m very much interested in the odd combinations. Like when I had Jimmy Kimmel on, I put him on with two gay guys. And (journalist) Anderson Cooper was on with my assistant’s roommate who is a hairdresser from Mississippi along with a civilian who just made fun of him. It’s all about the combinations.”

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But Griffin is careful not to cross certain lines of privacy.

Griffin, who is a longtime activist for the lesbian/gay/bisexual/transgender (LGBT) community, had Cooper on her show about one week before he announced publicly that he is gay. Griffin knew Cooper is gay. But she didn’t say a word about it.

Although she isn’t gay, many of her friends are. She was excited to talk about hosting the Gay Pride parade last month in Las Vegas.

“I looked online out of curiosity to see who was playing in town that weekend and I saw it was Margaret Cho and Joan Rivers,” she said. “So I emailed the girls and said, ‘Why don’t we kickoff the Vegas Pride fest together. We could ride in the same car, take pictures and thank the LGBT community for giving us that opportunity. The girls signed on and you can see the pictures on Google.”

The three comedians were accompanied by drag queen lookalikes of themselves at the opening.

“It was a great day and a fabulous moment and I will cherish those photos forever,” she said.